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Afternoon Dramas - Soap operas.
Castro, Ramon - The son of venusian political colonist Fidel Castro. He overcame his family's influence to become Venus's best-known pioneer and explorer.
Crys-Fish - Animals that live in the seas of Titan, a moon of Saturn. They are vaguely fish-like and have skin that looks like pieces of crystal. The larger species of crys-fish are hunted (like the whales of Earth's seas) for the crystals of their skin and the chemicals in their bodies.
Hold Orbit - Hang out.
Hydroponics – This is a way of growing plants in water rather than soil. It is, in many ways, easier to maintain, can grow plants at a higher density, and, because it can also be used to clean sewage, it is the preferred means of growing plants in space colonies and most major cities.
Lighter - A hard-skinned dirigible using hydrogen gas to lift it into the air. The name comes from: Lighter-than-Air Craft.
Martian Canals - The canals that criss-cross the surface of Mars are actually sophisticated biological machines designed to distribute water from the martian poles around the planets. Although millions of years have seen the slow decay of the martian eco-system and the silting over of the canals by martian sand some parts of the canals are still alive. Most martian colonies are located near a canal that the colonists are attempting to revive in hopes of eventually reviving the entire canal system.
Mercury Ball - This is a game much like soccer. The teams are generally seven men on small indoor fields. The ball is somewhat smaller than a soccer ball. Inside the ball is a small device that causes the ball's center of balance to, at odd times, shift causing the ball to shoot off in random directions. Smaller schools, such as the Space Academy, often play with three-man teams. The rules have also been adopted for low- and zero-G conditions. Mercury ball is the most popular sport of the 21st Century.
Nuclear War - Actually two international volleys of atomic bombs in the 20th Century. The first was in 1949 between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. The second was in 1976 between the New Germany, China, Japan, and the U.S.
Nuclear Winter - As a result of all the dust thrown in the atmosphere by the Nuclear War the Earth underwent a decade long ice-age. The cold killed a lot of people but, fortunately, the U.S. developed the technology to help its people survive the cold.
Nul-Gravity - When Cadets Strong and Dale discovered the time-capsule of the long-gone Khaluths in the Asteroid Belt they also uncovered clues that led to the development of gravity generation and faster-than-light travel. Although anti-gravity has not been discovered solar alliance scientists have discovered how to neutralize gravity in small areas. This is used more and more in the construction of buildings. Ornithol - Small, bird-like dinosaurs from Tara that have become popular pets on Earth.
Tara - This is the second planet in the ____ system. It is a jungle world not unlike Venus (and, in fact, was seeded with dinosaurs just like Venus). It is the site of the first human colony outside of the Solar System.
Titan - The largest moon of Saturn. Titan is much larger than Luna and is almost completely covered by a sea of ammonia and hydrocarbons. Also the sea is well below freezing there are animals living there the best known of which are crys-fish. Because there is almost no solid land above sea-level on Titan there are no civilian colonies there.
Tr - Tele-Receiver - Television.
Venus - This is the second planet in the Solar System. About the same size as Earth it is a hotter, more jungle-like world. It is believed that, hundreds of millions of years ago, the Khaluths visited our solar system, terra-formed Venus, and seeded it with dinosaurs from Earth. It is the site of the first open-air colonies established on other worlds.
Wastelands - The lands outside the new cities that have been damaged by the Nuclear War and/or the Nuclear Winter. Wasters - People who live in the Wastelands. Due to radiation, malnutrition, and poor medical help Wasters are often physically and mentally handicapped.
